Approved by cant say
Thread idea taken from basically every tier
s/o kamikaze17 for suggesting this
One of the most difficult parts of Battle Spot Singles is finding Pokemon that work well together in a more restricted 3v3 format. Teammates that can cover more general threats tend to be more effective than making sure you have a solid answer to every relevant threat, but this can be difficult especially for people used to 6v6 formats. Likewise, you don't want to fall into the trap of always having to use the same three Pokemon together each game, so it's important that a core is flexible enough to function with other teammates instead of relying on the same two partners. This thread aims to guide you in that process by archiving popular and effective cores in Battle Spot Singles that are flexible enough to function not only with each other, but the rest of the team as well. Here you can discuss these cores and post other cores that you've found successful, so this thread should be used as a teambuilding resource for all players.
Rules and Procedures:
Since this is meant to be a resource to help people learn, please avoid posting cores that are just bad gimmicks or cores that you haven't actually tested. When posting a core, make sure to post sets and a short description of what the core does. A paragraph is fine, doesn't have to be super fancy or formal; just don't make it an essay. Also try to label your core as either an Offensive Core, Balance Core, or Defensive Core to make things easier to add. While not necessary, feel free to post any replays (PS or on cart) that showcase the effectiveness of the core, since replays are always helpful. A core doesn't need to be three Pokemon either, cores of two work just fine as well.
For simplicity's sake, try not to overload your post with too many cores at a time. One or two cores per post is fine, three if you really have stuff you want to share, but six cores is a lot of stuff to go through at once. Not all cores will necessarily be added to the archive, but don't let that deter you from posting a core if you think it's worth discussing. This is a discussion thread as much as it is an archive so don't hesitate to post, but if you're really unsure if a core is worth posting then you should probably not post it.
To start things off and to provide an example, let's post the popular Blaziken, Zapdos and Ferrothorn core.
This is a very popular Blaziken core on balanced teams, centered around covering Blaziken's few solid checks such as Talonflame, Azumarill and Slowbro, while wearing everything else down to let Blaziken sweep. Mega Blaziken's massive Attack stat makes Flare Blitz and High Jump kick incredibly deadly on their own, so its coverage slot is mainly filler. Physically defensive Zapdos covers Talonflame, Azumarill and Mega Salamence for Blaziken, and wears down physical attackers with Rocky Helmet, possibly crippling them with Static. Roost lets it do this effectively and allows it to fish for Static procs, and Thunderbolt lets it hit Azumarill, Talonflame and Gyarados directly to take them down if they set up. HP Ice hits Mega Salamence though Toxic lets it wear down other walls like Cresselia. Ferrothorn rounds out the core by providing a Water and Electric resist that can threaten Suicune, Rotom-W and Thundurus. It also offers Stealth Rock support, which is very useful on Blaziken teams for crippling Talonflame and breaking Focus Sashes for Blaziken. This is a very straightforward core but it's one with very few glaring weaknesses, and one of the more popular Blaziken cores for good reason.
With that, feel free to start posting cores!
Thread idea taken from basically every tier
s/o kamikaze17 for suggesting this
Battle Spot Singles - Effective Cores
One of the most difficult parts of Battle Spot Singles is finding Pokemon that work well together in a more restricted 3v3 format. Teammates that can cover more general threats tend to be more effective than making sure you have a solid answer to every relevant threat, but this can be difficult especially for people used to 6v6 formats. Likewise, you don't want to fall into the trap of always having to use the same three Pokemon together each game, so it's important that a core is flexible enough to function with other teammates instead of relying on the same two partners. This thread aims to guide you in that process by archiving popular and effective cores in Battle Spot Singles that are flexible enough to function not only with each other, but the rest of the team as well. Here you can discuss these cores and post other cores that you've found successful, so this thread should be used as a teambuilding resource for all players.
Rules and Procedures:
Since this is meant to be a resource to help people learn, please avoid posting cores that are just bad gimmicks or cores that you haven't actually tested. When posting a core, make sure to post sets and a short description of what the core does. A paragraph is fine, doesn't have to be super fancy or formal; just don't make it an essay. Also try to label your core as either an Offensive Core, Balance Core, or Defensive Core to make things easier to add. While not necessary, feel free to post any replays (PS or on cart) that showcase the effectiveness of the core, since replays are always helpful. A core doesn't need to be three Pokemon either, cores of two work just fine as well.
For simplicity's sake, try not to overload your post with too many cores at a time. One or two cores per post is fine, three if you really have stuff you want to share, but six cores is a lot of stuff to go through at once. Not all cores will necessarily be added to the archive, but don't let that deter you from posting a core if you think it's worth discussing. This is a discussion thread as much as it is an archive so don't hesitate to post, but if you're really unsure if a core is worth posting then you should probably not post it.
To start things off and to provide an example, let's post the popular Blaziken, Zapdos and Ferrothorn core.
This is a very popular Blaziken core on balanced teams, centered around covering Blaziken's few solid checks such as Talonflame, Azumarill and Slowbro, while wearing everything else down to let Blaziken sweep. Mega Blaziken's massive Attack stat makes Flare Blitz and High Jump kick incredibly deadly on their own, so its coverage slot is mainly filler. Physically defensive Zapdos covers Talonflame, Azumarill and Mega Salamence for Blaziken, and wears down physical attackers with Rocky Helmet, possibly crippling them with Static. Roost lets it do this effectively and allows it to fish for Static procs, and Thunderbolt lets it hit Azumarill, Talonflame and Gyarados directly to take them down if they set up. HP Ice hits Mega Salamence though Toxic lets it wear down other walls like Cresselia. Ferrothorn rounds out the core by providing a Water and Electric resist that can threaten Suicune, Rotom-W and Thundurus. It also offers Stealth Rock support, which is very useful on Blaziken teams for crippling Talonflame and breaking Focus Sashes for Blaziken. This is a very straightforward core but it's one with very few glaring weaknesses, and one of the more popular Blaziken cores for good reason.
Blaziken-Mega @ Blazikenite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- High Jump Kick / Superpower
- Swords Dance / Knock Off / Rock Slide
- Protect
Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static / Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Toxic
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip / Gyro Ball
- Gyro Ball / Knock Off / Protect
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- High Jump Kick / Superpower
- Swords Dance / Knock Off / Rock Slide
- Protect
Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static / Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Toxic
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip / Gyro Ball
- Gyro Ball / Knock Off / Protect
- Stealth Rock
With that, feel free to start posting cores!
